Page 118 of Last Seen
But I loved you. I always loved you. Then, and now.
I am coming for you, sister.
I have the code to the chamber.
And I know how to get you out.
Chapter Forty-Five
Theo
Brockville, Tennessee
It’s nearing sunset when Theo takes the left-hand turn into the Brockville town limits, grinding his teeth in frustration. Four and a half hours, and there’s nothing that Lincoln Ross can find that implicates Miles Brockton or anyone else in this godforsaken town of wrongdoing. They have nothing to go on. No leads. No sightings. The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Knoxville Police are pulling their traffic cams to see if they can find the Camry, and that’s all they’ve got.
There is nothing he wants to do more than come in guns a-blazing to rescue Halley. Assuming she’s here. Assuming she is in danger at all. Assuming she didn’t drop her basket and start murdering people.
He can’t imagine that from his wife, but they say you never really know someone, right?
Halley’s always had a little darkness in her, that he does know. Considering she’d lost her mom so young, he thought he understood why. She always had bad dreams—actual night terrors, saw shadowy figures in the room trying to kill her, that sort of thing. For the next fewdays, she’d be quiet and withdrawn. He’d try to get her to talk about what she was experiencing, to him, to someone, but she always demurred.
Now, he wonders if she was worse off than he thought all along. If the past week has broken her in some way.
He drives through the town. It is Stepford. It is Mayberry. It is Seahaven. It is a perfect rendition of what a charming small town is supposed to be. Beautifully appointed houses; smiling, waving people; clean and safe and perfect. A cheerful cage for those who want to live a special, unique life.
That’s what Miles Brockton sells them, and they eat it up.
What darkness lies beneath this veneer? Because it feels so wrong to him. Everything he thought was engaging and welcoming when he drove in the first time to look for Halley is now strange. Brockville is too pristine, too isolated, too good to be true. It is a movie set for a utopian society; the dystopian world is hidden just below the surface. Scratch deeply enough, and they won’t bleed; they will hemorrhage.
He cruises the street and finds himself in the hamlet they call Canter. What the hell is up with these names, anyway? He read that Brockton wanted to re-create the small-English-village feel and used charming British towns for the names, just shortened: Avalon, Canterbury, Glastonbury, and Somerville. He dropped the second halves of the names and gave each quadrant its unique identity.
Presence is vital to a utopian society. He is surprised to realize this perfect haven is now giving him culty vibes. Brockville is an expensive, elegant, sinister place. Maybe Donnata Kade was exactly right. Maybe they do turn people into shells of their former selves. Suck out the marrow and leave only the bones behind. People come to cults to be led, to be sheep, to be told what to do. There is nothing divine about handing over your personal responsibility. To ignore your autonomy. To follow blindly.
He quickly surmises that Canter has nothing to do with horses running through fields, as he’d first imagined, and everything to do with health and wellness. The gym, yoga studios, what seems to bea care home for the elderly, doctors, a clinic, a pharmacy ... even a small hospital.
When Theo left Brockville, Noah Brockton was in the ICU fighting for his life.
With nothing better to do, he swings his truck into the parking lot and strides inside.
The hospital is quiet and virtually empty except for the few people stationed in the ICU. Theo checks in at the desk and is told to wait. A few minutes later, the nurse returns and points him down the hall. Noah Brockton is pale, hooked to at least four machines, but his eyes are open. He sees Theo through the glass and waves a hand, gesturing for him to come into the room.
“You gonna live?” Theo asks, and Noah smiles weakly.
“So they say. I’m glad you’re here. Did you find Halley?”
“Tell me what happened and I’ll tell you what I know.”
Noah shuts his eyes. “You have to find her. She’s in danger.”
Theo’s adrenaline bumps up a notch. “Are you saying she didn’t shoot you?”
He stares at the ceiling, then shakes his head. “No, she didn’t.”
Relief crashes through him, followed by dread. He knew it. Damn it, heknewshe didn’t do this.
“Who did?”
“You really don’t know where she is?”
